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| Messages 1 - 34 of total 34 in this topic |
Matt
Trad climber
places you shouldn't talk about in polite company
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i always see other parties when i climb over there
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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check out this link but a picture is worth a thousand words. Anyone want to go up Mr. Natural?
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Matt
Trad climber
places you shouldn't talk about in polite company
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the whole valley is an active rockfall zone!
i have done mr natural twice since that unfortunate guy died there. great climbing, just get in and get out.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Rokjox wrote:
>... Maybe we need a self appointed cleaning crew to release that thing late some night.
The flake is huge, so it would take some serious explosives - so basically there is no way; we'll have to wait for nature to take its time. I recall a photo taken from a helicopter. It's not handlable by 1-2 people like that old block on the Nose that got trundled.
and Matt wrote:
>the whole valley is an active rockfall zone!
True, but clearly some areas are higher risk than others (just in terms of observed frequency of rockfalls, for example). Everyone chooses their own level of acceptable risk, of course. I guess I'm lucky that I already did Mr. Natural so many times; I don't feel such an urgent need to get back on it now.
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Kupandamingi
Trad climber
Berkeley
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I climbed Mr. Natural (perhaps ill advisedly) last fall. Such a shame about the rock fall potential as it is truely seared in my mind as one of the best pitches (we third classed to the crack) Ive ever been on.
That said - I wont go back, just not worth it to me
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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A large car jack was used to increase the length of "Strange Energy" by at least 30 feet. The whole "Punch Bowl" to "Mr. Natural Area" has been a bowling alley for years, and years. Just take a look at the talus pile over there. We always climbed on that side of the Apron in the Fall or early Winter after everything had cut loose in the Spring. When the water is seeping, stay away.
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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I've been on Mr Natural twice since the big rock fall. I don't see it as a bigger deal than being at the bottom of Central Pillar or being anywhere at the bottom of El Cap.
I wear a helmet, rack up away from the cliff, and don't hang around (same thing I do at Central or El Cap).
I even did Good Book this last year, although it looked a little dodgier (but very fun, my first time on it).
As far as other people climbing at the Apron, there are a lot of already runout routes that are getting pretty rusty. Anyone for free soloing 5.11 friction?
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nate
Trad climber
virginia
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I can say that being at the top of rixon's after doing the good book this spring. I have never wanted anyone to follow a lead that quickly. Jeez all the bolts sheared off and bent.
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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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Rockfall or not (thanx NPS) the Apron is home to some of the best slab routes on the planet! Something about the sound of rubber squeaking on glacial polish just sends me. Too bad certain individuals have felt the need to boost their sagging egos by slagging friction routes and downrating Apron routes. Routes like Perfect Master and Nothing on the Apron are solid 5.12 regardless of whether some guidebook author hung his way up the bolts or in the case of Hall of Mirrors downrated the route after wearing out a pair of shoes whipping all over the rig! Damn the Torpedos - full speed ahead.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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The idea that the rockfall pushed the goodbook all the way over to rixon's is enough to make me, wary.
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Edge
Trad climber
New Durham, NH
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Some of my fondest Valley memories are of routes on the Apron.
At the end of my first trip I fell off of "Lean Years" and went home to New Hampshire. Six months later I returned and led it, in Fires with 5 pieces of pro. Someone at the base razzed me for taking so little gear, but I countered with, "If I take it, I will use it," and so I sent it with some unnessesary runouts.
Son of Sam and Lean Years were pre-breakfast classics; I probably did 20 ascents of each. The boulder problem (Short Circuit, I think???) that was uphill and to the right was the only place I saw rockfall, courtesy of the watercourse above. I never got hit, but there were some memorable close calls. I still never wore a helmet, being 20 and indestructible and all...
Misty Beethoven was the best, and when I return to the valley I will surely throw myself at the pitches above Misty's P5, and damn the torpedoes.
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nate
Trad climber
virginia
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confusion by me good book= the folly ? someone help me
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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On Stoney's main wall is a boulder about 7 ft by 3 ft Elipsoid.
A car jack would send it tumbling down towards Topanga Canyon. Anyone in?
Juanito
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Coonyard, circa 1975. Dig the pair of biners, the pop-top hanger, and the bell bottoms baby.
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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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Off White - Yeah , I remember you - you made and sold those vintage pile pants right?
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Well, they're vintage now, but they were cutting edge, well, maybe more like a butter knife, all back in the day. Who're you?
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aldude
climber
Monument Manor
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Just another dirtbag slab sheriff from the Platinum Age
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Watusi leads Coonyard in 1975 - age 15?
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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"confusion by me good book= the folly ? someone help me "
Well (if I have it straight), there is Rixon's pinacle. If you traverse along the base to the right you get to the folly.
The right side of the folly is also known as the good book.
But whatever it is called, it is an excellant route. The first pitch is still a little ugly from the rock fall. The second pitch is better. (I can't remember if there is one more short pitch but) then you move back left into the beatiful lieback corner (once in this corner, you are fairly well protected from above so this is not a bad place to set up a toprope and do laps). The pitches above are pretty interesting too.
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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A friend of mine was belaying on top of the Folly during one of the big earthquakes back in 1981. He said the whole pinnacle moved back and forth (anchor was on the wall above it) and it was even more interesting for the parties on the route who watched nuts fall out and cams flex back and forth.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
one pass away from the big ditch
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I see old people.
all back in the day and sh#t huh?
;)
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Yeah, I like the wayback machine aspects of this site. Are you the same Mungie as on b.com?
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PMS
climber
Woodland Park, CO
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1981, yup, I believe that was the year. Was on the apron (Hoppies Favorite?) when that hit. We all were at a belay, HUGE stuff was falling all around us, as we watched the valley fall apart. All we could do is look up at our demise that was sure going to come crashing down on us. Amazingly we were not hit by a single pebble as we watched trees below to the left and right shatter like match sticks from the onslaught of bombs from above......... and the valley filled with dust. Our decent thru the blast zone was humbling, so much devistation. That night was a very nervous time, lots of after shocks. Next morning we bailed and I have never been back to the ditch since.
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WBraun
climber
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"I have never been back to the ditch since."
Lightweight
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PMS
climber
Woodland Park, CO
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That's, "Mr. Lightweight"
Thank you.............
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Off White
climber
Tenino, WA
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Heh, I was also on the Apron for that one, leading a pitch on The Mouth. I was particularly impressed by the freight car that came off Grizzly Peak and the screams for help from the Happy Isles trail center. It seemed the corner I was in also screamed. We finished the climb before descending.
A few days later we were descending from Middle Cathedral after doing the East Butt. In the gloom of early evening, I found the descent gully covered in grit with a rockfall scar seemingly on every square foot, and all the bark stripped from the small trees. It was unsettling enough that we rapped rather than scrambled. Another party descending at the same time had a meltdown over the issue, scritching around in the rolling grit. One of the guys abandoned his partner to come plead, "Can I rap on your ropes? Can I go first?" while screaming at his buddy, "You're high Harold, you're way high!" Good times to be sure.
The forecast at the C4 ranger booth was particularly sweet: Thunderstorms, Earthquakes, Possible Volcanic Ash.
Come to think of it, maybe it was 1980 since St Helens was going off?
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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yep, it was '80. i got a photo of that post on the ranger board somewhere....
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
one pass away from the big ditch
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that mungie jack ass on b.com is a lightweight for sure!
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Wonder
climber
WA
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the earthquake. i had left the valley for sf. i was at powell & market and the windows were breaking & falling duh, the facades were falling. valley training told me to run for the open spaces. ran uphill to union square & got 1/2 way there and it stoped.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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yeah, the spring of '80
was a bumper year for quakes.
Lepton, Wee John and Rick Derrick sat one out on El cap Spire.
There is a story I have told online but should be retold by Leroy about some buffoons making a point of doing an early am (after the mtn rm closed ) ascent of little john so they could be on the cap for the predicted 7.0, accompanied by a Jardine investment and Dante's care package.
A quickie; Three days in a row there were earthquakes, big ones, you could feel it first then hear big stones come down fast, then the inevitable mass-wasting over by sentinel sent up a dirt cloud that looked like forest fire smoke. Always about 7.am.
The third day of this I was making coffee when it hit (this was the biggest one, and I swear you could feel the dirt under your feet move in a clockwise(?) manner) I looked at my buddy doug and we laughed and ran over to scope the sentinnel rockfall, along with most of camp 4. It was a great show!
As we walked back to camp we came across our hungover friend 'Trashman' (not the one that posts here) He was woozilytrying to stand up, the seemingly hastily stepped-into jeans around his ankles Might be what had tripped him.
"I thought I was gonna die! The moving ground woke me up, kinda gave me the swirleys, I heard rockfall and saw everyone running to the south side. I thought camp 4 wall had fallen and was coming to kill me."
-August dub, no big deal- rixon's =west face route, etc, east of it is the folly = good book, wild thing etc. I mix 'em up all the time. Had to comment when I witnessed someone else's dyslexia behaving the way mine does.
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Robb
Social climber
Flathead Valley, Montana
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I remember those quakes. Especially that boxcar plus one that came off of Grizzly Peak. We were in Boystown during every one of those suckers. By the time they were done , there was a path from our tent cabin to the Curry parking lot from us practicing the 50 meter dash. Best story I have from the apron is from '79 when Pete Chesko & I got cabin fever & decided to do some climbing. It was clear, but cold & icy so we hauled out the wall racks & headed for a little pre-season wall practice on the apron.To make a long story short, we get up about a pitch & a half and the weather goes to imitation Everest complete w/ wind, sideways snow, etc.Hypothermia starts in.W/out anchors to rapp, we put in a bolt & barely made it off & got a fire going under a boulder at the base. Almost dusted at 19... We did'nt have any problem w/ cabin fever after that.....
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| Messages 1 - 34 of total 34 in this topic |
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